Hippocampal atrophy measures from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are powerful tools for monitoring Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. In this paper, we introduce a longitudinal image analysis framework based on robust registration and simultaneous hippocampal segmentation and longitudinal marker classification of brain MRI of an arbitrary number of time points. The framework comprises two innovative parts: a longitudinal segmentation and a longitudinal classification step. The results show that both steps of the longitudinal pipeline improved the reliability and the accuracy of the discrimination between clinical groups...

Human beings harbor clusters of bacteria in different parts of the body, such as the surface or the deep layers of the skin, the mouth, the lungs, the intestine, the vagina, and all the surfaces exposed to the outer world. The majority of microbes resides in the gut, have a weighty influence on human physiology and nutrition and are vital for human life. There is growing evidence showing that the gut microbiota plays important roles in the maturation of the immune system and the protection against some infectious agents...

Rodríguez-Rosell, D, Yáñez-García, JM, Torres-Torrelo, J, Mora-Custodio, R, Marques, MC, and González-Badillo, JJ. Effort index as a novel variable for monitoring the level of effort during resistance exercises. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-This study aimed to analyze the acute mechanical and metabolic response to resistance exercise protocols (REPs) defined by 2 variables: the first repetition's mean velocity and the percentage of velocity loss (%VL) over the set. The product of these 2 variables was termed the effort index (EI) and was used as an indicator of the degree of fatigue induced during each REP...

INTRODUCTION: Kayak racing has been an Olympic sport since 1936. The sport is evolving with the introduction of ocean skis and stand-up-paddle boards (SUP). Musculoskeletal injury incidence surveys have been conducted for ultra-marathon events, but no data have been published for other racing formats. OBJECTIVE: To identify and compare the rates and types of injuries sustained by paddling athletes as a function of discipline and training parameters in Sprint, Marathon, Ultra-Marathon, and Ocean events...

Microbiological culture remains the most sensitive method for detecting viable and infectious bacteria, but these methods often require at least 24 hours to visibly identify bacterial growth. Lab-on-a-chip applications have utilized methods to isolate bacteria in picoliter-sized reaction vessels, resulting in digitized signals that offer improved time-to-detection and improved quantification. Although a great improvement, these approaches typically require expensive and specialized equipment, trained laboratory personnel, and maximum addressable volumes that can be orders of magnitude less than needed for clinically relevant limits of detection...

Background Misuse and diversion of opioids have contributed to the U.S. opioid crisis, making an understanding of specialty-specific and procedure-specific trends essential. Objective The objective of this analysis was to evaluate nationwide trends in opioid prescribing patterns among sinus surgeons performing functional endoscopic sinus surgery and maxillary sinus balloon dilation, specifically examining factors associated with variations. Methods High-volume sinus surgeons were identified through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services database and cross-referenced against prescriptions to Medicare Part D beneficiaries during 2013 through 2015...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the capacity of the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) student health centers to provide medication abortion (MA), to identify gaps in resources required to implement proposed Senate Bill 320, which would mandate the provision of MA on UC and CSU campuses, and to explore California student health center staff perspectives on the benefits and challenges of providing MA. STUDY DESIGN: UC and CSU student health center (SHC) staff participated in a self-administered online survey; we conducted in-depth data collection including site visits and conference calls at a subset of campuses...

BACKGROUND: The American Society of Echocardiography Committee on Pediatric Echocardiography Laboratory Productivity was formed in 2011 to study institutional factors that could influence the clinical productivity of physicians and sonographers in academic pediatric echocardiography laboratories. In the previous two surveys, staff clinical productivity remained stable while total echocardiography volumes increased. This third survey was designed to assess how clinical productivity is associated with laboratory infrastructure elements such as training, administrative tasks, quality improvement, research, and use of focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU)...

Continuous practice modulates those features of brain anatomy specifically associated with requirements of the respective training task. The current study aimed to highlight brain structural changes going along with long-term experience in creative writing. To this end, we investigated the gray-matter volume of 23 expert writers with voxel-based morphometry and compared it to 28 matched non-expert controls. Expert writers had higher gray-matter volume in the right superior frontal and middle frontal gyri (BA 9,10) as well as left middle frontal gyrus (BA 9, 10, 46), the bilateral medial dorsal nuclei of the thalamus and left posterior cerebellum...

AIM: This study compared the effect of different resistance training (RT) frequencies on total, android, gynoid and trunk body fat in overweight/obese older women. METHODS: Fifty-seven overweight/obese older women (66.9±5.3 years and 39.9±4.9% body fat) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a group performing RT twice a week (G2X), a group performing RT three times a week (G3X), or a non-exercise control group (CG). Both training groups performed the same 12-week RT program consisting of 8 exercises that trained all major muscle groups...

Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) is a method derived from space medicine, which in recent years has been increasingly used by clinicians to assess the efficiency of the cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms. LBNP with combined tilt testing is considered as an effective form of training to prevent orthostatic intolerance. We have developed a prototype system comprising a tilt table and LBNP chamber, and tested it in the context of the feasibility of the device for assessing the pilots' efficiency. The table allows for controlled tilting in the range from -45 to +80° at the maximum change rate of 45°/s...

In 1975, Morganroth and colleagues reported that the increased left ventricular (LV) mass in highly trained endurance athletes versus nonathletes was primarily due to increased end-diastolic volume while the increased LV mass in resistance trained athletes was solely due to an increased LV wall thickness. Based on the divergent remodelling patterns observed, Morganroth and colleagues hypothesised that the increased "volume" load during endurance exercise may be similar to that which occurs in patients with mitral or aortic regurgitation while the "pressure" load associated with performing a Valsalva manoeuvre (VM) during resistance exercise may mimic the stress imposed on the heart by systemic hypertension or aortic stenosis...

Study Design Cross-sectional. Background The relationship between lumbar spine posture and muscle structure is not well understood. Objectives Investigate the predictive capacity of muscle structure on lumbar spine posture in active duty Marines. Methods Fouty-three Marines were scanned using an upright magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner while standing unloaded and standing, sitting, and prone on elbows with body armor. Cobb, horizontal, and sacral angles were measured. Marines were then scanned unloaded in supine using a supine MRI scanner...

Exosomes are extracellular nanovesicles released from any cells and found in any body-fluid. Because exosomes exhibit information of their host cells (secreting cells), their analysis is expected to be a powerful tool for early diagnosis of cancers. To predict the host cells, we extracted multi-dimensional feature data about size, shape, and deformation of exosomes immobilized on solid surfaces by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The key idea is combination of support vector machine (SVM) learning for individual exosome particles and their interpretation by principal component analysis (PCA)...

INTRODUCTION: Physiological effects of exercise on trained and untrained individuals have been studied extensively. Typically, young or middle-aged individuals are examined before and after short periods of vigorous exertion. METHODS: We studied six elderly male athletes (61±8 years (mean ± SD); baseline VO2 max 48±5 ml·kg-1 · min-1 ) with focus on cardiac function and biomarkers following 14 consecutive days of moderate intensity exercise. Cardiac dimensions, function, biomarkers, and other measures of cardiovascular health were examined at baseline and 2 and 28 h after the last day of cycling a total of 2706 km...

The effects of concurrent strength and endurance training have been well studied in untrained and moderately-trained individuals. However, studies examining these effects in individuals with a long history of resistance training (RT) are lacking. Additionally, few studies have examined how strength and power are affected when different types of endurance training are added to an RT protocol. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of concurrent training incorporating either low-volume, high-intensity interval training (HIIT, 8-24 Tabata intervals at ~150% of VO2max ) or high-volume, medium-intensity continuous endurance training (CT, 40-80 min at 70% of VO2max ), on the strength and power of highly-trained individuals...

Background Intravenous treatment with ceftriaxone, a commonly used third-generation cephalosporin, is associated with a risk of the potentially fatal side-effect of neutropenia. Objective The first systematic study to determine whether six to 12 days' intravenous ceftriaxone treatment is associated with a reduction in the neutrophil count and the extent to which biochemical and/or haematological parameters routinely measured at baseline predict such a fall. Method Baseline and follow-up haematological and biochemical blood indices were measured in 86 patients (mean age 39...